Book holders

ABSTRACT

A BOOK HOLDER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FLOOR BASE, A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE STANDARD SECURED TO SAID FLOOR BASE, AN EXTANDABLE, HORIZONTAL ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE UPPER, ADJUSTABLE END OF SAID STANDARD TO SWING LATERALLY, A BOOK SUPPORT MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE OUTER END OF SAID HORIZONTAL ARM TO SWING LATERALLY, A PAGE HOLDING MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID BOOK SUPPORT MEANS WHICH IS OPTIONALLY USEABLE, AND A UNIVERSALLY ADJUSTABLE LIGHTING MEANS, PREFERABLY OF THE HIGH INTENSITY TYPE, ATTACHED TO SAID BOOK SUPPORT MEANS. THE BOOK HOLDER BEING CAPABLE OF OBSCURELY SUPPORTING AN ELECTRIC CORD WITHIN IT.

J. C. YOUNG BOOK HOLDERS Sept. 20, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1968 55 If? H I NVEN'I'OR. JOSEPH C. YOU/V6 FIG. 3A

P 20, 1971 J. c. YOUNG v 3,606,235

BOOK HOLDERS Filed Oct. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR. JOSEPH C. YOUNG United States Patent 1" 3,606,235 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 l CG US. Cl. 248-453 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A book holder comprising in combination a floor base, a vertically adjustable standard secured to said floor base, an extendable, horizontal arm pivotally connected to the upper, adjustable end of said standard to swing laterally, a book support means pivotally attached to the outer end of said horizontal arm to swing laterally, a page holding means pivotally attached to said book support means which is optionally useable, and a universally adjustable lighting means, preferably of the high intensity type, attached to said book support means. The book holder being capable of obscurely supporting an electric cord within it.

This invention relates to book supports and a primary object of the invention is to provide a book holder that can be adjusted to any desired reading position in front of a person seated in an article of furniture.

Often when reading matter, printed matter, or similar articles, to be read or viewed for prolonged periods of time, are held manually or at otherwise poor reading or viewing angles or distances, neck strain or eye strain or poor posture may occur and cause physical discomfort.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to pro vide an attractive book holder that is capable of a plurality of vertical and horizontal and angular adjustments to a suitable reading position in front of a chair or similar article of furniture.

Another object of my invention is to hold a magazine or book, of the standard variety, in an open position upon the support means by means of an optionally useable page holder.

Another object of my invention is to introduce a book support and holder that can be supported from any one of a diversity of floor based supporting means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a book holder as described above that is suited to accommodate an illuminating means while safely holding the electric wire thereof, within it.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended.

This invention is best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, but is susceptible of any changes and modifications as shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the book holder with a phantom view showing the horizontal arm in an extended position, and from the back.

FIG. 2 is a truncated view of the book holding means and the page holder, from the front.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, profile view showing the relationship of the parts between the end of the horizontal arm and the book holding plate.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the book holding plate, shelf, page holder and reinforcing member.

FIG. 4is a profile view of the book holding plate with a cut away spring housing and showing the spring and,

page holder in a page holding position.

FIG. 5 is a profile view of the book holding plate with a cut away portion of the spring housing and showing the position of the spring and page holder in an open, nonuse position.

FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view showing the relationship of the page holder, spring and spring housing.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the connection between the page holder, spring and spring housing.

FIG. 8 is a truncated, elevational view showing how spindles can be applied between the top of the floor base i and the adjusting collar.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, with a truncated horizontal arm, showing the connection between the vertical post and a supporting clamp.

FIG. 10 is a profile view showing the book holding means with an adjustable electric light.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the manner of attachment that may be made between the vertical post and a book shelf or end table.

FIG. 12 is a plan, cross sectional view showing some of the multi-faceted material that may be used in making the long, tubular members of the book holder.

Referring to these drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the floor base 1 is portable and of suificient weight for the purpose intended. The lower end of a hollow post 2 is secured to said base, an adjustable collar 3 is fitted to the top of said post 2, a hollow, vertically adjustable member 4 is slidably fitted through the adjustable collar 3 into the top of said post 2 and held at any adjusted position by said adjustable collar 3. A swivel 5 having a vertical axis is secured to the top of said vertically adjustable member 4, one end of a hollow, horizontal arm 6 is laterally connected to said swivel 5 to swing horizontally, a second swivel 7, having a vertical axis, is fitted to the other end of said horizontal arm 6, a second horizontal arm 8 is laterally secured to said second swivel 7 to swing horizontally, a member 9 having a threaded hole with a vertical axis is secured to the outer end of said second hollow arm 8, the lower threaded end of a swivel 10 is engaged into the threaded hole of said member 9 and secured there, said swivel 10 pivots on its base on a vertical axis, the threaded stem 11 of the swivel 10 is engaged to rotate on a horizontal axis around the binding screw 12, said binding screw when sufliciently tightened will hold the stem 11 at a fixed adjusted position, a friction disc 13 having a centrally located square hole, is received on the stem :11 and is positioned at the base of the threads 14 on a square shoulder and held to be stationary, a hollow bowl like reinforcing member 15 having a centered hole is received on the stem 11 and is positioned against the friction disc 13 and held to be rotatable, a threaded locknut 16 is engaged on the threads of the stem 11 and tightened sufliciently against the reinforcing member 15 to permit the latter to be rotatalble under pressure, around the axis of the stem 11, the book holding means 17 with shelf 18 is integrally fastened, at its back to the reinforcing member '15, thereby being adjustably supported and provided with a shelf leveling adjustment, with respect to the floor. The exploded view in FIG. 3 shows the relationship of the parts including the stem 11, friction disc 13, reinforcing member 15, locknut 16, and the book holding means 17. The shelf 18 is turned down at 19 to provide stiffening for the shelf 18 and also to obscure a spring 22 and spring housing 23 behind it. An offset cam 20 in the page holder 21, which is made of a single strand of wire, is engaged to one end of the spring 22, the other end of said spring is held secured to the back of the spring housing 23. This assembly is shown in FIG. 7 plus an exploded view thereof in FIG. 6. When the page holder is rotated the cam 20 revolves around a pivot point 24, 24, thus due to the spring action, the page holder 21 can be held in a book holding position at the face of the plate 17 or beneath the shelf 18 in an obscure position when not in use. The page holder is made of a single strand of wire, extending the length of the shelf 18, is engaged and terminates in like manner on both sides beneath said shelf. Spindles similar to 25, 26 as shown in FIG. 8 can be received on post 2 and the threaded end of said post can be tightly engaged into a threaded hole in the floor base 1, thus binding spindles 25, 26 between the top of the floor base 1 and the underside of the adjustable collar 3. This assembly is intended to add rigid strength and. weight to said post 2. Alternately, the short, upright post 2 as shown in FIG. 9, may be slidably fitted into the sleeve of a clamp 27, said clamp is in turn secured to and supported from the edge of a desk, table, or similar article of furniture. Alternately, the post 2, of intermediate length, as shown in FIG. 11, may be slidably fitted through a hole, in a book case or end table and terminate in a secured socket 30 below, and supported thereby. Said book holding means 17 is suited to accommodate a lighting means 28 as shown in FIG. 10, preferably of the high intensity type, supported at the end of a universally adjustable arm 29 and supported from the reinforcing member 15, and powered b standard house current.

The tubular members and swivels of the book holder are adapted to receive the passage of an electric wire or cord through them, thus providing an obscure support and safe accommodation of said cord from the bottom of the post 2 to the *base of said lighting means 28. An extendable coiled section of said wire can be held within said hollow post 2.

The long, hollow members of the book holder are cylindrical as shown in the present drawings, but they may be made of multi-faceted materials as indicated in FIGS. 12a, [2, c.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a book holder having a vertically adjustable standard carried by a supporting base, a horizontally extendible arm means pivotally connected at its inner end to said standard on a vertical axis, a book support means having an angled ledge portion extending outwardly from one edge thereof, a page holder carried by said book support means and adapted to extend across the lower part thereof, and a swivel means connecting said book support to the outer end of said horizontally extendible arm, the improvement which comprises; said swivel means including a vertically extending member pivoted at its lower end on said horizontally extendible arm means; a stem adjustably carried about a horizontal axis on the upper end of said vertically extending member; a hollow bowl like reinforcing mem ber carried on the back of said book support means; said reinforcing member having a central opening in its base for receiving said stern; and frictional holding means engaging said stem and said reinforcing member for permitting rotational adjustment of said book support means about the axis of said stem. 3

2. A book holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said page holder comprises a single wire element formed with its end portions bent back in return bends to provide pivot portions at the ends thereof, which pivot portions are spaced from the body of said element, said pivot portions being provided with an offset forming a cam intermediate their ends; said ledge portion of said book support being provided on its underside with means for receiving said pivot portions; a pair of springs, each mounted between one of said cams and said means for receiving the pivot portions; whereby said page holder may be pivoted from an operative position above said ledge or an inoperative position below said ledge and said page holder is resiliently held in either position by the action of said springs.

3. A book holder as set forth in claim 2 wherein said ledge is provided with a downturned reinforcing lip and said means for receiving the pivot portions of said page holder comprises a pair of housings, one at each end of said ledge; said housings having apertures for receiving said pivot portions and said springs each being disposed within one of said housings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 833,567 10/1906 Ward 2404X 1,865,179 6/1932 Egli 248- 1,898,666 2/1933 lsaacson 240-4X 267,592 11/ 1882 Rickards 248457 1,041,101 10/1912 Kobzy 248457X 1,049,101 12/1912 Jones 248-453 1,391,112 9/1921 Hinzman 248-457 2,048,313 7/1936 Adolfson 248-122 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner US. (:1. X.R. 24s 124, 457, 458 

